The Foundations of American Government Portfolio Directions

The U.S. Constitution is the result of centuries of ideas, several key historic events, and the efforts of numerous people who sought to create a better government. For this assignment, you will think about some of the different people and conditions that led to the Constitution. Then you will organize your reflections about: who and what was most important into a multimedia presentation.

Highlight one person, idea, and event that influenced the U.S. Constitution. You may choose from the list below:

People

• John Locke

• James Madison

• George Washington

• Benjamin Franklin

• Montesquieu

  *The person does not need to have been present at the Constitutional Convention to have had an important impact.

  Ideas

• Equality Federalism

• Separation of Powers

• Checks and Balances

• Rights of the individual

• Social contract/consent of the governed

  Historical Events

• creation of Magna Carta

• the establishment of the House of Burgesses in Virginia

• the signing of the Mayflower Compact

• Boston Massacre

• the passage of the Intolerable Acts

• Declaration of Independence

• the formation of the Second Continental Congress

• Revolutionary War

• the passage of the Articles of Confederation

• Shay's Rebellion

  You should use at least three sources to complete the assignment. These sources might include the following:

  1. Movies in previous lessons in this unit

  2. The United States Government: Democracy in Action

  3. Grolier Online®

  4. Other websites

You will need to include a Works Cited list of your resources. Refer to the Research Papers and Essays: Formatting and Citing Sources document.

Tip

If you type "U.S. Constitution" into the search engine feature of Grolier Online®, it will generate a list of encyclopedia articles as well as multimedia resources and websites that you can use for the assignment.

Organizing Your Information

1. Organize the information you collect for each category into a multimedia presentation. Refer to the Foundations of American Government Portfolio Project template. The template provides only a basic structure for the presentation. You will still need to add information from your research, pictures, designs, and colors.

2. For your person, include the following:
   a. A picture of the person with a caption and citation
   b. A bulleted list including the person's name, personal background

   (education, profession, and experience in government), and actions
   c. One paragraph explaining why this person is the most important people involved in the creation of the Constitution (This should be a persuasive

   paragraph that includes an explanation of why and how this person made a significant contribution to the creation of the Constitution.)

3. For the idea, include the following:
   a. A picture that represents or symbolizes the idea
   b. A definition or explanation of the idea
   c. Identification of when and where the idea developed
   d. One written paragraph explaining why this idea is one of the most

   important ideas behind the creation of the Constitution (This should be a persuasive paragraph that includes an example of how this idea is incorporated into the Constitution and why you think it is the most important idea to shape the U.S. Constitution.)

4. For the historic event, include the following:

   1. A picture of the event with a caption (Be sure to cite the source of the

      picture.)

   2. The name of the event and when and where it happened (A bulleted list is

      acceptable.)

   3. A description of what caused the event, written in complete sentences.

   4. An explanation of how the event impacted the Constitution, written in

      complete sentences. 

The Foundations of American Government Portfolio Rubric

Review the following rubric to make sure that you have completed all components of the portfolio assessment and have followed the guidelines.

Comments:

 

Total Points: ________/75